Team GB offered cash to support Beijing Winter Olympics on social media

Team GB athletes are offered more than ONE THOUSAND POUNDS to publish pro-Beijing content on social media ahead of next week’s controversial Winter Olympics

  • Sportsmail has been shown emails and texts sent from Chinese PR firms
  • The emails ask some of Britain’s medal hopefuls to post pro-Beijing content 
  • No British athlete is understood to have taken up any offer to take part 


Team GB stars are being offered more than £1,000 to post videos in support of next week’s controversial Beijing Winter Olympics.

Sportsmail has been shown emails and texts sent from Chinese PR firms to the agents of some of Britain’s medal hopefuls asking if their athletes would publish pro-Beijing content on social media for cash.

One company was willing to pay $1,500 (£1,120) for an athlete to film themselves saying: ‘I support the Beijing Winter 2022 Olympics. The Beijing Olympics is an opportunity to promote values of peace, unity and mutual respect.

Some Team GB members have been offered money to post pro-Beijing content ahead of the Winter Olympics

‘Sport can provide a useful way of creating an environment in which people can come together to work towards the same goal.’

Another firm, who said they were working for the Chinese Olympic Committee, was offering €4,500 (£3,360) for five athletes to publish vlogs in support of Beijing 2022 on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

No British athlete is understood to have taken up any offer.

The revelations add more weight to claims of Chinese ‘sportswashing’ amid the ongoing controversy of the Games taking place in a country accused of committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

Athletes have been warned by Beijing 2022 officials that they face punishment if they speak out on human rights issues.

The Winter Olympics gets underway in Beijing next week with 50 Team GB members involved

The Winter Olympics gets underway in Beijing next week with 50 Team GB members involved